Running-gear for motor-driven vehicles.



PATENTBD MAY 17, 1904. B. 0. HICKS.-

RUNNING GEAR FOR MOTOR DRIVEN VEHICLES. APPLIUATIQN FILED JUNE 15. 190s'.

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f Ps1* T IlS gw@ MN rl NH '0 HU A m UNITED STATES Patented May 17, 1904.

PATENT OEEICE.

BOHN C. HICKS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO CENTER DRIVE AUTOMOBILE COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AND PIERRE, SOUTH DAKOTA, A CORPORATION OF SOUTH DAKOTA.

RUNNING-.GEAR FOR MOTOR-DRIVEN VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 760,120, dated 'May 1'7, 1904,

Applicatonled Tune 15, 1903.

To all whom it may' concern:

Be it known that I. BoHN C. Hicxs, of Chicago, in the countyof Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Running-Gear for Motorthe rear axle of the vehicle runningfgear and operatively connected with the motor which drives the vehicle, and side supporting-wheels rotatively mounted on spindles which are connectedwith the central part of the rear axle and are axially out of line with the axis of said drive or traction wheel. A

` The invention consists of the matters here inai'ter set forth, and more particularly point ed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a vehicle running-gear, showing the applica` tion of my invention thereto. Fig. 2 is a detail section taken online 2 2 of Fig.` 1. 3 is a top plan view, partially broken away, of the device shown in Fig. 2.

As shown in the drawings, A designates` the front axle, and B thel rear axle, of the running-gear frame.

A B designate the front and rear wheels, respectively, of the runnin g-gear frame. The front axles are mounted `on the usual axle stubs or spindles A2, which are hinged to the main part of the axle, and said spindles are provided with rearwardly-extending arms c, adapted for connection with rods or bars a a2 of the steering-gear mechanism. The rear Wheels B are rotatively mounted on spindles B2, which are formed on or made integral with cranks B3, which latter are rigidly connected Fig. i

`Serial No. 161,460. `(No modali) i at their inner ends with the central part of the rear axle B.

C designates a center drive or traction wheel which is rotatively mounted on the central part of the rear axle B. Said wheel C is' driven by means of a motor D ot' any preferred type through the medium of a link belt D', trained over apinion Z on said motor, and a sprocket-wheel C, fixed to the huh of the wheel C. E E designate the longitudinal side mem- Qbers or reaches or' the vehicle-frame, which are connected at their front ends with the front u' axle and at their rear ends with the cranks Boi' 3 the rear axle B. The motor D is supported iat its front `ends from a cross-bar F, which l extends between and is connected at its ends to the reaches E, it being swung from a part 1d', loosely connected at its upper end with l partei' the rear axle B with the spindles l thereof through the medium of the cranks Bd said central part of the axle B is located ec,

l centric to or out of alinement with the axis of l rotation of the wheels B B'. This arrange- `ment is provided in order to permit the axle landthe central drive-wheel C carried therelhy to move vertically relatively to the side i wheels B B' when the vehicle is passing over 1an uneven roadway and at times, therefore, when the central or side wheels are passing l over depressions or elevations in the roadway. The rear axle has, therefore, a rocking movement in the vehicle-frame, such as will peri mit said axle and the central wheel to rise and fall when the central drive-wheel C is pass- By reason of the connection of the central ing over elevations and depressions in the roadway, the axis of such rocking or oscillatory movement being the axis of the spindles B2 and said spindles turning in the hubs of the wheels B to permit such movement.

The reaches E are connected at their front and rear ends with the front and rear axles by loose-fitting jointsor connections, which permits free movement between the reaches and axles during the rocking action of the rear axle above mentioned, thereby giving flexibility to the frame and preventing binding between the intermoving parts of the frame. rIhe flexible construction employed is also designed to prevent undue stress and strains being brought upon the frame members of the running-gear due to shocks resulting from passing' over rough and uneven roadways. These features of my construction are made as follows: The reaches, which are preferably made of tubing, are provided at their ends with fittings E', (shown more clearly in Fig. 2,) which areso constructed as to be fitted over the front axle and the cranks of the rear axle and are provided with spherical inner bearing-surfaces which engage spherical protuberances co3 b on the front laxle and on the rear axle-cranks, respectively. Said fittings lare divided to permit them to be assembled on said axle and cranks, being made of two parts e e, whichjare joined by bolts e2, extending through lugs e, as more clearly shown in Fig. 2. YThe parts @of said vfitting are provided with shanks having reduced parts which lit into the ends of the tubular reaches, said reaches labutting against annular shoulders e onV said shanks. The fittings may beattached to the reaches by brazing or other suitable means. The fittingsl are preferably divided obliquely to permit the same to be readily connected with the shaft or cranks when the parts arey in their usual or horizontal'positions.

By reason Vof the rounded or sphericallyformed engaging faces of the fittings E' and t'heprotuberances a3 b of the front-axle and rear-axle cranks said reaches when connected with said axle and cranks by the fitting d escribed are held from lateral displacement and at the same time are permitted to rotate upon the parts with which they are connected and to have considerable freedom of movement in other directions. Moreover, by reason of such loose connection between saidparts no binding of the .parts is experienced during the relative v,movements of the parts, even.

though the frame be under a torsion or twisting strain during said movement.

.Certain changes in the structural details may be made without departing fromthe spirit of my invention, and I do not Wishrto be limited to the exact details shown except as hereinafter made the subject of specific claims.

I claim as my inventionl. A vehicle running-gear, the combination of side reaches, a crank-axle mountedin said gear in a manner to rock therein, a central drive-wheel rotatively mounted on said axle, and side wheels rotatively mounted on spindles carried by the cranks of the axle, said reaches 'being' connected with the cranks of the axle by means permitting the reaches to flex relatively to the axle in all directions.l

2. A vehicle running-gear, the combination of side reaches, a crank-axle mounted in said gear in a manner to rocktherein, a central drive-wheel rotatively mounted on said axle, and side wheels rotatively mounted on spindles carried by the cranks of the axle, said reaches being connected with the cranks of the axle by ball-and-socket joints.

3. In avehicle running-gear frame, the combination ofside reaches, acrank-axle, a central drive-wheel rotatively mounted on Vsaid axle, and side wheels rotatively mounted on spindles carried by the cranks of said axle, said reaches being provided at their ends with spherical socketsand said cranks .being provided with spherical protuberances which fit within said sockets. Y

a. In a vehicle running-gear frame, the combination of the rear axle embracing a central part and spindleswhich are connectedwith the central part of the axle byv cranks, wheels rO- tatively mounted on said spindles, a drive or traction wheel rotatively mounted on the central part of the axle, and reaches connected with saidlcranks, the connection between said reaches and cranks embracing fittings which are provided with spherical sockets and spherical protuberances on said cranks which are received by said sockets, said fittings being divided diagonally to facilitate the assembling of the parts.

5. In a vehicle running-gear frame the combination of the front and rear axles, the rear axle embracing a central. part and spindles which are connected with the central part thereof by cranks, wheels rotatively mounted on said front axle, wheels also mounted on said spindles, a central drive or traction wheel mounted On the central part of said rear axle, and reaches connected at their front and rear ends with the front axle and the cranks on the rear axle, respectively, by joints permitting the reaches to flex relatively to the axles in all directions.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I afx my signature, in presence of two witnesses, this 8th day of June, A. D.

BOHN C. HICKS. Vitnesses:

TAYLOR E. BROWN, JOHN F. FARGO.

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